Meatball Company Recalls 300,000 Pounds of Meat Over Listeria Risk

HERE By Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED: 8 July 2012

More than 300,000 pounds of meat products are being recalled by a meatball company over fears of possible listeria contamination.

Bridgeton, New Jersey-based Buona Vita Inc is recalling about 324,770 pounds of frozen, ready-to-eat meat and poultry products produced in May.

The include meatballs, chicken and beef patties, and loafs of chicken and beef,  the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said on Saturday.

The FSIS described the health risk related to the recall as ‘high’, according to the statement.

The possible contamination was discovered through testing by FSIS and the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the FSIS statement said.

There have been no reports of illness related to the company’s products, it added.

In 2011, more than 30 people died from listeria-contaminated cantaloupe linked to Jensen Farms in Colorado.

Listeria bacteria thrive in low temperatures. Outbreaks are usually associated with deli meats, unpasteurized cheeses and smoked refrigerated seafood products.

Listeriosis has a long incubation period, with symptoms sometimes not showing up until two months after people consume tainted foods.

Symptoms include fever and muscle aches, sometimes preceded by diarrhea and other gastric problems.